Simple Man Entertainment

This weekend I had the good fortune to sit down and enjoy a true escapist movie. The movie I got to watch was a western called Appaloosa. I have always been a big fan of the genre of western films. Unfortunately there have been a lot of western films made in the last ten or twenty years that I thought cheapened the genre, however I do not think that this movie is one of those.

As with most excellent and classic western movies this one is also about the classic battle between good and evil. Appaloosa also happens to be a great love story as well, which I believe will make this movie a good viewing for both the guys and gals. The makers of this film have also seemed to have gone out of their way to keep the wardrobe, speech, and living conditions of the west as authentic as possible too.

There are also a lot of well known actors in this movie who have had experience in performing as western characters. Ed Harris plays the main character of Virgil Cole a lawman. Viggo Mortensen plays Virgil’s partner Everett Hitch. Jeremy Irons plays the evil rancher Randall Bragg. Lance Henriksen plays hired gunman Ring Shelton. Renée Zellweger plays the love interest Timothy Spall of Harry Potter fame also plays a roll.

The setting for this film is a small western town named Appaloosa. The town’s people and businesses have been terrorized for some time by the evil rancher Randall Bragg to the point that the town council is finally ready to do something about it. Their answer to the problem is to hire Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch to protect the town, because the towns marshal Jack Bell was killed by Randall Bragg. Unfortunately for Bragg marshal Bell was a friend of Virgil Cole, which motivates Virgil to accept the job.

While all of this is going a widow named Allison French played by Zellweger arrives in town on the train and grabs the interest of town marshal Virgil Cole. To Virgil Allison French appears to be a refined, educated, and attractive woman, which she is. They spark up a relationship almost immediately and Virgil starts to court Mrs. French. Unfortunately Mrs. French also shows an interest in Virgil’s partner Everett Hitch, which goes no where fast.

Ultimately Virgil Cole gets a witness to marshal Jack Bell’s murder, makes his arrest, and gets a murder conviction at trial on rancher Randall Bragg. While transporting Bragg to the county seat for his hanging Bragg is rescued by hired gunman Ring Shelton and his brother who have taken Allison French as a hostage. While trailing Randall and the Shelton brothers Virgil learns that Allison is fooling around with Bragg. Both Bragg and his crew and Virgil and Everett run into some renegade apaches at this time too.

What follows is a shootout with the renegade Indians and an unlikely partnership between the Shelton Brothers, Cole, and Everett. Ultimately a gift of a horse to the Indians in exchange for safe passage is performed by Everett, which allows the unlikely partners to reach the town Bragg was running to. Inevitably there is a shootout between Cole, Everett, and the Ring brothers, which enables Randall to escape and results in both Cole and Everett sustaining injuries and the Ring brothers dying.

Some time later after Virgil, Everett, and Allison return to Appaloosa where Virgil and Allison rekindle their relationship Randall returns with a full pardon by then President Chester A, Arthur his friend and former boss at the customs house in Washington D.C. What follows after Randall’s return to Appaloosa is nothing less than what you would expect, although not in the manner that I expected at least. I think though that you should watch the movie, because I will not give away the ending and the ending is poignant.

I hope you have enjoyed his review here at Simple Man Entertainment This movie is rated R for violence an language so I would definitely not show movie to young children. However if you like westerns jut as I do I would highly recommend that you watch this movie, because you will not be disappointed. I hope you all have a marvelous day and I will be back again soon with more here at Simple Man Entertainment CIAO4NOW!!!!!